


Family

by expecto_cosmos



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Agents of SHIELD, Coda Fic 4x09, F/M, FitzSimmons - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Protective Jemma, coda fic, post 4x09
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 12:13:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9323111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/expecto_cosmos/pseuds/expecto_cosmos
Summary: Jemma helps Fitz realize he is allowed to be upset over Aida's apparent death. Post-4x09 coda fic.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at AoS fic! Written for the coda challenge run by thefitzsimmonsnetwork. Follow me on tumblr at expecto-cosmos.

"I'm being silly, aren't I?"

Jemma had been sitting on the common room table for ten minutes, watching Fitz tinker with Aida's severed head. She wasn't quite sure what he was trying to accomplish, but she allowed him to work out his frustrations while she sat by in silence. She hadn't realized she had started to drift off until his words jolted her. 

"About all this." Fitz tossed his screwdriver onto the table with a heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair, covering his eyes with both hands. 

"It's not silly, Fitz," Jemma reassured him. A week ago her response may have been different; that was before she saw Aida take a bullet for her team. "She was meant to be something great. Because of you, really." She reached down and put a hand on his knee. 

With another sigh, Fitz leaned forward and put his head on the table, angling so his face was buried in her side. She moved her hand up to run through his curls. It had been ages since they had been able to be together even in this small way, and she closed her eyes to savor the moment before it was inevitably taken away yet again. 

"What about you?" he asked, his voice muffled. "And the Inhuman?"

Jemma knew he was just trying to change the subject, trying to hope that something positive had happened in her day to balance out the heartbreak in his. She wished she could give that to him. 

"He wouldn't come with us," she said, not opening her eyes. "I tried. We all tried. He was loyal to his family."

Jemma felt Fitz shift to look up at her, and she opened her eyes to meet his, their hands intertwining. 

"I guess I understand that," she whispered. "Loyalty to family." She shifted down into Fitz's lap, and his arms weaved behind her back, gripping her tightly to him. She looked even deeper into his eyes, trying to convey everything she felt, everything she meant. He was her family. 

But she couldn't help but add: "Even if his family is a conniving, power hungry maniac Senator hell bent on genocide."

Fitz chuckled without humor. "Well, who doesn't have family drama."

They sat in silence again. Jemma rested her cheek against Fitz's neck, and he tilted his head to rest on hers. 

All too soon - always too soon - they heard footsteps approaching. Jemma looked up to see Mack and Elena walking back into the common room, playfully arguing about yet another robot horror movie. In the split second before they noticed Fitz and Jemma, Jemma couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, wondering when she and Fitz would get another chance to be as playful. 

Elena hesitated when she saw the pair, and made to reach out for Mack, perhaps to turn around and leave. Before she could do so, Mack erupted --

"Jesus, Turbo. How long are we going to keep this creepy-ass thing on the table? Don't people eat here?"

He grabbed Aida's head and waved it around in the air. Jemma felt Fitz tense under her touch, and she leapt up before Fitz could react. 

"Stop!" She walked over and reached up for Aida's head, shooting Mack a steely look. "Give it to me now." She knew she had no chance of reaching it herself, feet above her own head. 

Mack suddenly looked abashed, and handed it over. Jemma cradled it the crook of her arm and looked back over her shoulder at Fitz. "Come on," she said, starting to walk out of the common room. Fitz stood and followed. 

As they walked down the hallway, Jemma looked down at Aida's head. There was no denying it - it was creepy, just like Mack said. She could see that she would never fully understand Fitz's attachment, let alone his guilt. But she smoothed the android's hair back anyway, giving it some semblance of order. 

Walking alongside her, Fitz noticed and gave her a small smile before taking her free left hand. Jemma knew it would take some time, but she felt hopeful that she could still turn that sad smile back into the playful one she loved so much.


End file.
